TANGLED WITH THE CARVERS

CHAPTER 1: PROLOGUE

||*NADIA*||

I knocked again on the office door, stilling my breathing as I waited for his prompt to go in. Our argument yesterday hadn’t ended well, and he’s been closed off all day, snappish even. I hated how it bothered me; I hated that a part of me so badly craved his attention; I hated how all day I'd been dying to just see him offer me that childlike and charming smile he only showed when I was around.

The sound of the automatic lock on the door clicking open had me shaking my head, and I stepped into the office. I wasn't sure what I expected, but another flash of pain ran through my head as Leonard seemed unbothered by my presence. His pen hovered above the open file before him, and two of his fingers mindlessly tapped on the table.

A few heartbeats passed before he finally reached the conclusion to acknowledge my presence: “Is there something you need?” He asked without raising his head to look at me.

“Your five o’clock meeting has been cancelled, and I’ve reached out to Hopkins-Holdens to reschedule another one for next Friday."

“What happened this week, Friday?" He asked.

“You’re meeting with Simon's; after that, you have a two-hour schedule at the museum and another one-hour meeting with the director of the new modelling agency that’s seeking your partnership. Your entire schedule for this Friday is booked. Unless you want me to move the meeting to Saturday and tell your family that you won’t be available for the function," I replied, watching his jaw work with irritation.

“If that’s all, you can go back to your desk.” He waved his hand dismissively, like I was a child. He was shooing away, and tiny bolts of anger bubbled inside me.

“Actually, I wanted to know if there’s anything else you need me to do today. I’ve double checked the rest of your schedule, and there’s nothing else for the rest of the day, but I want to be sure that you don’t need or won’t be needing my assistance for any...

“Why—do you need to be somewhere?” He asked, cutting me off.

I nodded, only reminding myself afterwards that he wasn’t even looking at me. "Actually, yes. I wanted to ask if I can log off work early today; I have a thing.”

“A thing?”

"Yes, I have a date, and I promised to..."

“You have a date, and you’re asking to close early because of that?” Leonard’s head snapped up for the first time since I stepped into his office; his eyes burned with what I could only describe as rage, yet he kept his expression and demeanour calm.

“Yes sir.”

“You’re not going.” He said it with so much calm, reclining into his chair with ease.

“What?”

“You are not going on that date, Nadia. Go back to your desk and keep yourself busy.” He commanded with a level of finality in his voice.

I almost scoffed at his command, but I reined it in. “I have completed all my work for today, and by all means, I have the right to get off work early today. Because you made me work overtime last week, and I remember you telling me I had a free pass this week to get off work early. I already made dinner plans with my date; he already made reservations, and I am not going to cancel the date at the last minute."

My gaze burned into him as I refused to yield to his stare because I knew what he’s doing and why he’s doing this.

"Well, I guess you can still make the date when you close work." He made a show to check the watch on his wrist. “I am sure your date wouldn’t mind waiting another two hours. Of course, if he’s serious about being with you, that shouldn’t be a problem.” He mused, and my brows knitted in anger.

“Will you just stop!" I snapped at jinx

“Stop what?”

“I know you’re doing this to get a rise out of me. You’re not going to stop me from going on that date. I told you yesterday that this was over; it won’t work. We won’t work, and you know that. This is my chance to salvage my relationship with Deion, and I am not going to let you ruin it. We shouldn’t have done what we did; I shouldn’t have even allowed it. It was wrong and f*cked up in so many ways, and I don’t want to even open that can of worms because it makes my stomach churn every single time I think about it. I am going on that date, and you will do nothing to stop me. You are pleased to fire me the minute I walk out of this office, but we both know you won’t. So whether you like it or not, I am going on a date with Deion, and that’s final.”

I was breathing fire through my nostrils by the time I stopped talking, not realising that Leonard had risen from his seat and had stalked towards me while I was angrily spilling my guts.

He was in my face in no time, fingers wrapped around my throat as he backed me into the translucent glass walls of his office.

“You are disgusted by what we did?” Leonard snarled, and his grip on my throat tightened. “Does this disgust you now? Are you disgusted right now?” He asked with a sneer, pressing his body flush against mine, and my treacherous breath hitched, my body sagging against his.

“Leonard…” Even my voice betrayed me as it trembled with the sweet taste of his name on my lips.

“Answer me, sweet cheeks, right now, right here, this, are you disgusted? Do you feel like barfing all over me?” He asked low. And I shivered as the ghost of his breath caressed my ear with a gentle touch.

“No, no, I. Leonard."

“I thought so too, because I remember how f*cking magical the sound of my name was on your lips when you came violently with my c**k buried inside you.”

His hand creeped between my legs, pushing my skirt up to make way for his fingers as they immediately went home.

“What are you doing?” I asked shakily, and my legs betrayed me, parting leisurely to wrap around his torso as he hoisted me up.

“Taking what’s mine.” He whispered with so much assertiveness in his voice, and I could feel his smug smile against my neck as he pressed kisses all over my skin.

“Since you insist on going on that date, it is only fair if I put my mark all over you. A reminder that you are mine” He added with a growl.

“We can’t do this; it’s wrong. You know it; we shouldn’t do this.” I reasoned even as my body flushed, pleasure rolling over me as his fingers slipped in and out of my wetness.

“Then tell me to stop. Say the words baby cakes. You know the magical words; all you have to do is say them, and I’ll let go.” The gentle husk in his voice sent rapid sensations all over my body, and I found myself leaning into him as he popped open the button on my shirt, slipping my breast out of my bra, and his lips encased my n*pple.

I should say no; I should tell him to stop, but God help me, I couldn’t. The rational part of me knows we shouldn't be doing this and it is immoral, but that part of me that loses all logical sense of reasoning around him didn’t care.

Even if I had a gun pointed at my head right now, I couldn’t even tell him to stop touching me because, hell, no man has ever made me feel this way. I never reacted this way to Deion’s touches; I couldn’t, no matter how hard I tried. I always felt like I was being touched by rain-soaked wood, and instead of butterflies, it always felt like I had ants crawling all over me.

Yet with Leonard, everything is different. With him, I lose myself, I lose sense, and he makes me feel pleasure in places I never knew pleasure existed. He was the match, and I was nothing more than a gasoline-soaked fabric ever so ready to combust to flames in his presence. He sets every cell in my body on fire, and God do I love it. I crave it.

“Last chance to back out.” He murmured against my lips, and like the crazed, senseless woman I am, I claimed his lips in a bruising kiss.

“Oh f*ck!” I moaned loudly as he slid inside me in one swift motion.

I shivered, goosebumps erupting all over me as his lips traced searing kisses along my throat.

“So f*cking hot inside, and the way you’re milking my c*ck, so f*cking tight.” Leonard moaned his appraisals against my ear, nibbling my earlobe as a zing of electricity zapped around my skin, spreading all over my body.

"F*ck, don’t slow down. Don’t stop, oh god, don't stop.” I was shameless with my demands, not caring that if anyone were to ride the elevator all the way to the executive floors right now, they'd hear me moaning and begging for my boss's c*ck.

“I'm not him, but he'll probably punish me for making you produce such unholy sounds.” His hands gripped my throat with a bruising hold as his thrusts sharpened with ardour.

“When I’m done with you, you’ll go on your little date…” His thrusts quickened, his breath was shallow, and his voice was gravely low.

“And I want you to sit there, in these same f*cking clothes, with my scent all over you. You’ll look at him and smile at him like a sweetheart, knowing fully well that my c*ck was inside you. And he won’t know; he won't even know that you have my c*m soaking your pants."

The possessiveness in his voice had heat pulling in my stomach, my hips canting to meet his brutal thrusts, and my spine arched with shocking electricity as I came with his name on my lips.